Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 32.7% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.0 times more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 12.0% more in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 10.7% more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.5 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.4% less in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 8.9% less in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and housing in South Carolina are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including entertainment and sports and clothing are lower in South Carolina. Notably, childcare, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 2.0 times more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.43
AED30.94
|
$18.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.55
AED31.39
|
$11.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.07
AED3.94
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.45
AED1.66
|
$2.14
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.46
AED5.38
|
$3.57
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.94
AED18.13
|
$6.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.75
AED24.78
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
AED10.28
|
$4.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$6.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.97
AED3.58
|
$2.66
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
AED2.80
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
AED2.65
|
$2.55
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
AED2.13
|
$2.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.75
|
$1.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
AED1.74
|
$1.72
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 12.0% more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
AED12.50
|
$3.43
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.01
AED179.98
|
$57.12
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,745.09
AED124K
|
$33,498.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.71
AED28.30
|
$16.31
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 10.7% more for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$87.46
AED321.19
|
$69.68
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,419.61
AED5,213.52
|
$1,550.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,087.32
AED3,993.18
|
$1,238.74
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.39
AED482.53
|
$155.49
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.5 times more for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$481.84
AED1,769.57
|
$1,378.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,191.72
AED30,084.11
|
$17,884.58
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 22.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.81
AED39.72
|
$5.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.33
|
$5.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.20
AED22.77
|
$8.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.98
AED256.99
|
$34.64
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.30
AED48.83
|
$12.90
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 8.9% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.49
AED196.43
|
$49.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$52.36
AED192.30
|
$37.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$95.31
AED350.04
|
$89.72
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.82
AED348.22
|
$105.99
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. United States.
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